Dear Neighbors:
Here’s a link to the agenda for the Wednesday, May 20, 2021 Takoma Park City Council meeting: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-wednesday-may-20-2020/. We’ll be taking the final votes on the City property tax rate, stormwater fee, and budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (which begins on July 1). There will also be votes on two Wildwood Drive traffic calming ordinances, and we’ll finish with a work session discussion on bus stop access and amenities. As in recent weeks, the meeting will be conducted virtually, and those who wish to speak during the public comment period will need to sign up by 5:00 PM on Wednesday through this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2lnyeKa8RrO43f7_7X6ukg
Announcements and Updates
Mortgage Foreclosure Town Hall -- Thursday, May 21, 6:00 - 7:00 PM. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aPk7XdYUSsy8b7TP3p-P8g. The City and Civil Justice Inc. will be hosting a town hall meeting entitled “Foreclosure Prevention: What You Need to Know.” This webinar will include information about mortgage forbearance and the federal CARES Act; the foreclosure process; and resources and services available to homeowners.
City Manager Comments. This past week’s comments from Suzanne Ludlow include some useful Covid-19 related resources: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-manager/city-manager-comments/2020/City%20Manager%20Comments%20_%20%2005.13.2020.pdf.
Budget, Property Tax and Stormwater Fee. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200520-1-2-3.pdf. (Additional budget documents and a detailed summary of the changes made through the Council’s “reconciliation” process can be found through the main agenda link at the top of this message.) My blog from last week is a good summary of the actions the Council took leading up to this past Wednesday’s Council meeting, along with my views on these topics: http://www.councilmemberkovar.com/blog/2020/5/10/may-13-city-council-meeting-agenda-amp-budget-update.
I mentioned in that blog that I didn’t expect major changes when the Council took its first round of formal votes on the three agenda items at our meeting on Wednesday of last week, and in fact all three were passed without any substantive changes. To be specific, the Council voted 5 - 2 to keep the property tax rate at the same level for the coming fiscal year as this year. I voted no. We also voted 7 - 0 to keep the single family home stormwater fee the same as this year ($92), and we approved the budget on a 6 - 1 margin (I voted yes). There’s one more round of votes this week, but again I don’t anticipate any major changes, and I intend to vote the same way.
Assuming there are in fact no changes, the property tax rate will be 53.97 cents per $100 of assessed property value (which again is the same as the current rate). During the Council’s special budget session on May 4, I made a motion to set the rate at Constant Yield (or 52.91, the rate estimated to enable the City to bring in the same overall amount of revenue this year as last year). That motion was defeated 6 - 1, and that led to my vote against the property tax rate ordinance in last week’s meeting. For context, about two thirds of Takoma Park residents saw at least some increase in their property assessments in the most recent re-assessment process, and therefore may also have a larger tax bill even with the rate staying the same. With those numbers, I’m concerned that the economic challenges posed by the Coronavirus will make it difficult for an increasing number of residents to pay their City taxes. With that in mind, I’m hopeful we’ll be able to expand our existing tax credit program to provide financial assistance to lower income residents who have trouble with their tax bills, and I’ll be working for that goal.
Since early in our budget process I’ve argued that, because of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, we need to structure the budget in a much more flexible way for the coming year, including by setting aside a substantial amount of the funds in the budget for potential use in addressing Covid-19 related needs. I’ve also made the point that we need to make sure we closely review the budget and our fiscal condition as the fiscal year progresses. In addition, I’ve been a strong supporter of making some funds available as soon as possible to help residents and small businesses struggling financially and in other ways with the effects of the virus.
A number of those points were addressed in the budget. We put $440,000 into a Covid-19 fund to help residents and small businesses, and that amount was combined with approximately $195,000 in unused funds from the current year’s budget. In addition, we set aside $1.3 million (mainly from sidewalk and street re-surfacing funding and some personnel expenditures) and put it on hold. For now, those monies will be added to our unassigned reserves, and they will be able to be used for Covid-19 relief, to fill gaps in funding the City would otherwise receive from the County and other levels of government, for their originally intended purposes, or simply kept in the reserves. We’ve also structure the budget so that at least every three months we’ll conduct a formal review of where things stand in terms of our municipal finances, the progress of the pandemic, and the needs in the community. That review will help us determine if we need to shift funds from the unassigned reserves or take other steps to address the impact of the virus.
While I would have preferred that we set aside more than $1.3 million — my proposals to do that did not have majority support on the Council — when that amount is combined with the over $1 million in our Housing Reserves, plus other smaller reserve funds that are available, I think the budget takes some important steps toward giving us the kind of longer term flexibility we’ll need given the uncertainties we face. Meanwhile, for more short-term needs, we’ll be developing the details for use of the Covid-19 fund in the coming weeks.
Wildwood Drive Traffic Calming Ordinances. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200520-4-5.pdf. I’ll be voting in favor of the ordinances.
Bus Stop Accessibility and Amenities. https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20200520-6.pdf. Earlier this year, the Council passed a resolution prioritizing bus shelter installation at stops which met certain ridership, racial equity, climate impact, cost, and safety criteria. This week we’ll receive a presentation -- funded by a Greater Washington Council of Governments grant -- that complements that initiative by evaluating our bus stops for ADA compliance, accessibility, and bike and pedestrian improvements.
As always, please feel free to be in touch if you have questions or comments about any of these matters.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
Important Privacy Notice: All correspondence, including emails, to or from City of Takoma Park agencies, officials, and employees is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act and may be disclosed to the public.